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PLYMOUTH - A man attacked and killed his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage early Monday as she arrived at her 132 Nottingham St. apartment, repeatedly stabbing her in the torso with a large kitchen knife, authorities said.

The fatal ambush on Rosemarie Cave, 35, came just days after she broke off a three-year relationship with the suspect, Robert G. Zola, and packed up his belongings, family members say.

When Cave arrived home around 2:30 a.m. with another man, she had no idea Zola was inside watching her. As she was about to enter the residence, the door swung open. Zola pulled her inside and began the deadly assault, police said.

"She was the most beautiful girl in the world. I can't believe she had to die this way," the victim's devastated mother, Rosemarie Sult, said outside the murder scene Monday morning. "She was my baby girl. My baby girl is gone. It's heartbreaking. My heart and soul is empty."

Police arrested and charged Zola, 44, with an open count of criminal homicide. Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker ordered him incarcerated without bail.

The man Cave arrived home with, Jeffrey Walter Roberts, described the horrors Cave experienced in her final moments. She shouted, "Oh, my God, it's my boyfriend," when Zola confronted her at her doorstep and pulled her inside, Roberts told police.

Looking through the door window, Roberts said he could see Zola kneeling over Cave, repeatedly striking her in the torso with what looked like a knife. As he retreated to call 911, Roberts said Zola came outside and chased after him on foot, demanding to fight. Roberts said he hopped in his vehicle and drove to Main Street to call 911.

In the meantime, while Cave lay dead on her kitchen floor, Zola awakened Cave's daughter, Alyssa, who slept through the attack. He gave her a kiss and said goodbye, but never told the 17-year-old what happened, Sult said.

"He said, 'I'm sorry, I love you girl, but I have to go,'" Sult explained. "Alyssa didn't know her mom was dead. Alyssa thought he was taking his clothes and leaving. She went right back to sleep."

Then the cops came.

According to arrest papers:

While investigators examined the scene, Zola was huddled at a relative's house with his mother, aunt and several cousins after revealing he stabbed his girlfriend. They tried to convince him to surrender. He said he once spent a night in jail and didn't want to go back.

Zola told relatives he went to the home to gather some belongings and used his key to get inside. While he was there, he saw Cave and another man arrive in a vehicle. The two hugged and kissed as they walked toward her home. Zola said he "lost it" and "freaked out."

Zola told a cousin to take care of his mother and departed on foot. The cousin called 911 to report Zola's direction of travel. Police apprehended Zola around 7 a.m. on the levee along the Susquehanna River in Kingston.

In statements to police, Zola admitted attacking and assaulting Cave, but did not mention stabbing her. Police said a large amount of blood was on his blue jeans and there was also blood on his hands.

"I've seen this on the news so many times and I feel bad for the people. You never think it will happen to you. Then I saw myself and my daughter on the news," Sult said Monday night in a phone call. "I can't believe she died this way. I didn't know about the abuse. My daughter never consulted me. Maybe we could have helped."

Zola has a history of getting violent over Cave.

Zola was charged in July 2007 with pointing a rifle at Cave's husband, Kevin, from an apartment balcony in Kingston. While Cave and her husband were arguing, Zola aimed the gun and yelled he was "going to put a bullet into him (Kevin Cave) and that he was going to die," police wrote in arrest papers. Zola later pleaded guilty to charges of terroristic threats and simple assault. Then-President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. sentenced Zola to a year of probation, according to court records.

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

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15 posted comments

Ciavarella gave him a year's probation!!!! I guess he was too old for the Juvenile Detention Center, Mark couldn't get a kickback from Powell so he placed this murderer on probation. WOW!!! I wonder if Mark could sleep after this decision. Way to go Mark, I hope you see this poor girl's face every time you close your eyes.

lance, that's stupid. how could they catch this guy before he did anything??? should they read his mind?? there was no way the police could have prevented this. as for police not doing their job, as you say, do you know how the son of sam was caught??? he got a parking ticket.

this guy aimed a gun at her husband last year n got a year probation,what is wrong with this city,when a person gets arrested for terroristc threats um usually they have a stiffer sentence then calling a p.o. every month.if he was put away then, this could've been prevented...oh yeah stop with the "this guy came from agood family crap" i was tought at a young age not to hurt people so its as much this guys grimmy family lifes fault!i hope they tought their other children what is rite n wrong...rip rosie.

a, It doesn't matter that they caught Him, She was still taken away from Her family. Maybe the Police should spend more time trying to catch real criminals and preevent real crime rather than catch law abiding citizens trying to get to work in the morning.

Tragic, but what do expect when you frequent bars. You are not going to find anyone worth while at these establishments. These are not places you go to meet anyone for relationships. These are " it was nice meeting you, have a great, goodbye!".

JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU HOW CIAVARELLA WORKS. PULL A GUN ON ANOTHER HUMAN GEING AND ALL YOU GET IS PROBATION.BE A KID AND SKIP SCHOOL YOU GO TO A DETENTION CENTER . OH THATS RIGHT "CASH FOR KIDS" HE DOESNT GET "CASH FOR ADULTS" ANY WAY MAY PRAYERS ARE WITH ROSEMARIES FAMILY.